Pick, Prediction, & Preview:

Alabama Crimson Tide vs LSU Tigers

In the headliner for this week’s college football schedule, the top ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will travel to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to face the 4th ranked LSU Tigers on Saturday night at 8 pm EST. Both teams are coming off bye weeks while getting wins in their last outings as the Tide picked up a 58-21 road win over the Tennessee Volunteers while the Tigers were 19-3 home winners over the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The under is 5-0 in the last five meetings amongst these teams at Tiger Stadium while the favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last five games amongst these teams, overall. The last time they met, the Crimson Tide came away with the 24-10 home victory, yet the Tigers covered as 20.5-point road underdogs on November 4, 2017.

Alabama Crimson Tide's Latest Performance :

Alabama has not given any indication that they may not be the best team in the country this year. In fact, they have bolstered their claim to this title while adding on yet another facet to their passing game which entail Jalen Hurts along with Tua Tagovailoa under center in which to further confuse defenses. Interestingly enough, both QB’s are questionable for this matchup due to knee and ankle injuries; Nonetheless, the two have combined for almost 3000 yards of total yards along with 30 touchdown passes combined with just two interceptions on the year. Of course, Tagovailoa has done the bulk of the damage to opponents under center, yet, Hurts continues to contribute when his number is called.

The Tide possesses a running back in Najee Harris (489 yds, 4 TD’s) along with a receiver in Jerry Jeudy (777 yds, 10 TD’s) who can certainly be dangerous in the open field. Alabama has played one ranked team this year in Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa which they dominated by a score of 45-23 on September 22nd . With that being the case, they certainly look to pick up a victory in this matchup as they seek to bolster their resume in a must-win game versus their division foe.

LSU Tigers's Latest Performance :

While LSU’s passing attack ranks only 102nd in the nation and has left much to be desired, Joe Burrow and company have put up nearly 200 yards in five of the last six outings for LSU. Burrow only threw for 129 yards versus the Bulldogs in their last outing, however, the Tigers came away with a hard-fought victory. Nonetheless, the rushing attack has taken much pressure of Burrow as Nick Brossette (questionable-undisclosed) comes into this game not only having a total of 697 yards and 10 TD’s, but, he has scored a touchdown or more in his last five games, overall. And with rain in the forecast for this heavyweight battle on Saturday night, look for the Tide’s defensive front, which ranks 21st in the nation in stopping the run, to certainly get a heavy dose of the rushing attack for the Tigers that puts up 191 yards per outing.

LSU has one loss on the year which came at the hands of Florida on October 6th; However, they have won twice since including a convincing win over the Georgia Bulldogs to which they dominated on the ground in a 36-16 win. Finally, the Tigers are 4-2 ATS at home this year while the Tide are 2-1 ATS on the road.

How Alabama Crimson Tide & LSU Tigers Matchup.

Vegas Odds, Offshore Odds, & Odds ATS:

Alabama is 5-3 ATS while the OU is 6-2

LSU is 5-3 ATS while the OU is 5-3

In-Depth Analysis of each team:

This will certainly be the game to watch this weekend as the Tigers seek to pull out a victory over a tough Alabama team at home. It would be fair to note that this will be LSU’s fourth matchup versus a ranked team this year as they have fared well in going 3-1, with their only loss being to the Gators a few weeks ago. Other than that, both teams have soundly beaten their opponents leading up to this matchup. Look for both to get their rushing attacks going early and while each team has critical players questionable for this game, with a full two weeks to prepare and to heal wounds, I would expect all hands on deck for both squads in this matchup.

Against The Spread Selection: Pick: LSU Tigers +14.5

My reason for the pick :

While Alabama has had a great season thus far, I will back the Tigers in this matchup as I happen to believe that they are proven, and more battle hardened at this point of the season in playing the best competition while coming out as winners in all but one of those games. And while the Tide may indeed have the better talent from top to bottom, the LSU rushing attack along with Burrow running the offense, are sure to keep this game close. That is, if Burrow, who has thrown three interceptions and no TD’s in the Tigers last three games, remains confident and does not turn the ball over.

Totals Selection: Pick: Under 53.5

My reason for the prediction :

With both defenses ranking within the top 40 in every major defensive category along with the under being the play in the last matchup amongst these teams, I will ride the under in this contest as well in that each offense plays more toward ball control than anything. With that being said, both defenses will be tough to run on as they have proven all year that they are stingy in allowing teams any ground in this area. In all, look for the clock to run in this matchup as rain is in the forecast, thus allowing this game to be a traditional SEC battle that will be decided on who can control the line of scrimmage.

Betting trends for Alabama Crimson Tide:

Under is 6-0 in Crimson Tide last 6 games following a bye week.

Crimson Tide are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games in November.

Crimson Tide are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a bye week.

Betting trends for LSU Tigers:

Tigers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games in November.

Tigers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game.

Tigers are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 conference games.

Falepa

A sports analyst and enthusiast, Filipa enjoys writing articles for NHL, NBA, NCAAB, and, of course, for NCAAF. In addition, he enjoys the true art of breaking down games in such as way as to locate certain trends that can impact future contests. With a willingness to research, construct, and relay information that any reader can understand, Filipa aims to provide the reader with interesting & indepth knowledge for upcoming sporting events.